The Guardian
by emmapetran0990
Summary: PART OF MY CANON COLLECTION. What if Damon hadn't met Emma in 1864? What if they met in the 1920s? What if she had compelled him to forget certain things about their relationship? What will Emma do now that she is asked to help deal with Klaus and the deal Stefan made with him to save Damon's life? Rated M for Mature
1. Flowers For A Ghost

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries show or books. I only own Emma.**

* * *

The sun was brightly shining as Bonnie walked through the woods leading to the Salvatore Tomb. She heard whispers. It was the spirits. It was the same dream she had been having for months, ever since the sacrifice and Stefan's departure from Mystic Falls. But lately the dreams had become more intense. The voices grew louder and Bonnie turned around to see Sheila Bennett.

"Grams?" Bonnie asked, shocked.

"We don't have much time, child. You are looking for Klaus and Stefan, are you not?"

"Yes. I've been trying to help Elena."

"You must see the vampire guardian of the Bennett line."

"Vampire."

"She will explain everything. You must see Emma Petran."

"How can I find her?"

"Call Lucy." And with a gasp, Bonnie woke up from her dream.

Meanwhile, across town, Damon woke up from a dream of his own. Cold sweat drenched his body and his sheets. Growling, Damon threw the sheets off of him and threw a crystal glass sitting on his nightstand into the wall. For weeks he had been plagued with dreams, memories, of his time in the twenties, a time in which he had fallen in love with a beautiful vampire. Emma Petran. She had captured his heart more than Katherine, but Emma had compelled him to forget about their romance. She had compelled him only to remember that they had met in Chicago and had had a good time, but went their separate ways. She made him forget he loved her. As he walked into a closet to look over some articles detailing Stefan's ripper binge, Damon figured his time on death's doorstep was what led to Emma's compulsion weakening. While he searched for his brother, he had also been searching for Emma. He wanted to find her and make her explain herself.

_Chicago, 1922_

It was early in the morning when Damon woke. He moved his arm across the bed and realized the tigress he had gone to bed with last night was gone. He heard water running and walked downstairs, naked. Damon stopped in the kitchen to see a woman with long brown hair arranging orange lilies in a vase. She was dressed in only his white shirt.

"Good morning, Damon. Didn't your mother ever teach you not to spy?"

"I wasn't spying. Just…enjoying the view."

Emma giggled as she turned around. Damon was in front of her in a flash. His hand cupped her cheek as his lips met hers. Damon knew he would never tire of kissing her. He lived for it. Emma Petran was absolutely perfect for him. He felt more for her than he ever did for Katherine. Damon had come to the conclusion that Katherine was an obsession. What he felt for Emma was love. For the first time in centuries, he wanted to continue living. He was thankful Stefan made him turn. Because if he hadn't, he would have never met Emma. With Emma, Damon forgot he was a vampire. He was just a man.

"Morning," Damon whispered when he pulled away, his forehead resting against hers. He loved just looking into her hazel eyes. "I love you." God, did he love her. One minute, she was loving and tender and the next, she was ruthless and dark when defending those she loved. If he had to describe her in one word, he would say she was magnificent.

"I love you too," Emma replied as she kissed him once more. The kiss grew more hungry as Damon pushed her against the sink.

_Albany, New York, 2010_

Emma was pulled out of her memory of Damon Salvatore when a vampire entered the room.

"Yes?" Emma asked, still staring out the window above her sink.

"There's a witch here to see you."

"Thank you, Charles. I'll let her in." Charles bowed out of the room and Emma walked to the front door of the large manor she lived in.

"Hello, Bonnie Bennett. I'm Emma," Emma said, answering the door.

"You know who I am?"

"I know all the children of the Bennett line."

"I can't cross the threshold. There's some kind of barrier."

"I spelled my house with wards in the 40s. You require my invitation. Please come inside."

"You're a witch?" Bonnie asked, entering the house and following Emma into the sitting room. "I thought witches lost their powers once they were turned into vampires."

"I'm not your everyday vampire."

"You're an Original."

"Not that either." Bonnie sent Emma a questioning look. "You are familiar with the spell that the Original Witch used to turn her family into vampires, are you not?"

"Yes. My grimoire mentioned it."

"Didn't you ever wonder where Esther learned the spell from? She concocted it by experimenting with my blood, using the magic that runs through my veins. I was not born a human or a witch, Bonnie. I was born a vampire. I am the first vampire, the Mother of All Vampires, the Vampire Queen."

"My Grams told me you were a guardian of my family."

"Yes. During my first years as a vampire, I befriended your oldest ancestor, Amelia Bennett. We were best friends. When she passed, she asked that I protect your family."

"From what?"

"Oh my. You are quite shielded from the truth. Most witch lines don't last over three generations, dear. Vampires and witches, they don't exactly get along if you catch my drift. Amelia made me promise to protect the Bennett line. And I have. I presume you found me through Lucy?"

"Yes. She told me not to tell anyone I was coming to see you."

"Thank you for your discretion. It wouldn't do for the inhabitants of Mystic Falls or the Originals to know you were seeing me."

"You know the Salvatores?"

"We may or may not have crossed paths once or twice. What did you wish to discuss with me?"

"I need help finding someone. My Grams told me I should consult you."

"Who are you looking for?"

"Stefan Salvatore."

"Ah. I heard about that nasty business with Klaus. Just saw Stefan recently. We had a drink."

"Elena is obsessed with finding him. I'm not exactly pro-vampire, but I'm worried about her. If she keeps going on full-steam ahead, Klaus is going to find out she's still alive."

"I wouldn't be too concerned about that. He already knows."

"What!"

"Klaus is over a thousand years old. Don't be naïve enough to think you can fool him. I have spies all over the country keeping track of Klaus. One night he went to Mystic Falls to check in on the elder Salvatore and saw that doppelganger wench with him. He's not angry. He was actually quite amused. He moved on. If you want me to help you, you're going to have to give me more incentive than helping the _doppelganger_."

"You're awfully judgmental. You don't even know Elena."

"You're right. I don't, but I know my descendants. Petrovas. Always stuck between two men. Your Elena is no different, stringing my poor Damon along. They shame the Petran name."

"You know Damon?"

"My relationship with Damon is none of your concern."

"Well, Damon is Stefan's brother. Doesn't that concern you?"

"Klaus and I go way back and he's scared shitless of me. I may be able to work out a deal. When you go back to Mystic Falls, tell this _Elena_ that you spoke with an old vampire who is going to return Stefan to her. Make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. And tell Damon to stop searching for his brother. He's been too obvious. Klaus knows he's trailing them."

Bonnie started to head for the door, but stopped. "You really care about him, don't you? Damon?"

"This stays between us, do you understand?" Bonnie nodded. "I've lived over three millennia and I've been with many men, but I never knew what love felt like until I met Damon."

"You should see him."

"I made the choice about my future with Damon a long time ago. We're both better off having miles between us. Goodbye, Bonnie. I will contact you shortly when I have located Stefan." Bonnie nodded and left. Emma heavily sighed and walked out onto the back porch. She crossed her arms as the sun began to set. She knew if she found Stefan, it wouldn't be long before she encountered Damon once more. Would she be prepared to deal with that scenario? Would she be prepared to face the man that she let go? As she pondered these questions, she disappeared into the darkness, knowing exactly where Klaus would start to look for werewolves.


	2. The Howling

After breaking several speed limits, Damon and Alaric pulled up to a house in Tennessee. As Damon exited the suburban, his phone rang. He immediately silenced it.

"Elena?" Alaric asked. "I don't know why you just don't let her come."

"Because Andie said this was a half-lead. I don't want to get Elena's hopes up."

"Well, they're all half-leads and I'm your accomplice. It's quiet."

"Too quiet." They entered the house, its walls painted in blood. When they walked into the living room, they saw two women sitting on the couch. They were both dead.

"Ugh. Vampire for sure."

"Stefan, for sure," Damon corrected.

"How do you know?"

"It's his signature. There's a reason they call him the Ripper. Feeds so hard he blacks out, rips them apart, but when he's done, he feels remorse. It's the damndest thing. He puts the bodies back together." He moved one of the girl's legs with his foot and her head fell off onto the floor.

"Back together?"

"Definitely Stefan." Damon left and then returned with a gas can that was sitting in the house's garage. He started to pour it over the bodies.

"What are you doing?"

"Covering their tracks. Clearly they have no interest in staying in the dark, but I do." Alaric moved back and they both heard a creaking noise. "Hang on." Damon pulled the rug up and opened a trap door. Inside it were chains. "Well, what do you know? Werewolves."

When they walked back outside the house, Damon was shocked to see a familiar face leaning against the car.

"Emma," Damon whispered.

"Hello, Damon," Emma replied sweetly. In a heartbeat, however, Emma punched him in the face and kicked him in the groin. Damon fell to the ground in pain.

"What is wrong with you!" Damon growled.

"The face was for not following the instructions I gave Bonnie and the groin was my way of saying hi." Alaric chuckled.

"Shut up, Ric!" Damon glared. "Has anyone ever told you you're a real bitch, Emma?"

"For centuries. Quit following me!"

"I'm following my brother!"

"Did you not listen to a word Bonnie told you? I'm handling it."

"He's _my_ brother. Besides, you and I need to have a chat. You compelled me!"

"You remember? Seriously? I'm not rehashing the past out with you. If you want to talk about Stefan, meet me at the sleazy bar on Route 290." Emma then turned into a flock of crows, disappearing into the sky.

"Now that's pretty cool," Alaric said.

"Show off," Damon muttered.

About thirty minutes later, Damon walked into an old Southern bar with Ric. Emma was sitting on top of the bar, drinking from a bottle of whisky.

"Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, Damon Salvatore had to walk into mine," Emma mused. Damon slightly laughed. Ric looked between the two, confused.

"Inside joke," Damon muttered. "We first met at her speakeasy in the 20s. She was a divine singer."

"Who's your friend, Damon?" Emma asked.

"Ric, Emma. Emma, Ric."

"Ah, yes. Alaric, the vampire hunter who's best friends with a vampire. How poetic. Drink?"

"Why are we here?" Damon asked.

"You want to know where Stefan's been? He was here two hours ago. We had a grand old time. Drinks, pool, pin the tail on the werewolf. I forgot how much fun the Ripper was."

"Why should I believe you? What are you getting out of this?"

"Let's just say it's in my best interest if Stefan returns to Mystic Falls. I'm not doing this for your doppelganger."

"She isn't _my_ doppelganger."

"No. She just hangs off your every word and then kicks you to the curb when you start chewing on the town folk."

"Oh, I get it. You're jealous."

"Please," Emma scoffed. "Me? Jealous of my own descendant? I don't think so."

"I remember everything, Emma. Your compulsion has worn off. I know you love me."

"That was ninety years ago. Things change."

"Not you. You haven't changed a bit."

"Have you seen my hair?" Emma asked, pointing to her now auburn locks.

"I have. I like the new color. Brings out your eyes. Why did you do it?"

"I like to change up my style every few decades."

"No! Why'd you compel me to forget?"

"It wasn't safe for you to be with me."

"Really? You're going to play the 'I was protecting you' card?"

"It's the truth. Think about it, Damon. Who do you thinks been cleaning up your messes all these years?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Who shielded you from the other Originals throughout the decades? Who sent you the vampire with the information on Bree? Who compelled Caroline Forbes to release you from the cellar when Stefan locked you up? Who made sure the tomb vamps didn't touch you and your brother after Stefan was tortured? I even sent Rose to you. All I've done is protect you."

"Alright, I buy that. What's your plan to get Stefan out of this mess?"

"It's quite simple really. I'm going to make a deal with Klaus. I've already spoken with him. He's going to meet me in Chicago."

"I want to go with you."

"Uh, no."

"Why not?"

"Because you're Damon Salvatore. You'll screw it up."

"No, I won't. Emma, he's my little brother." Emma sighed.

"You promise to keep your mouth shut?"

"Scout's honor."

"You weren't in the boy scouts, doofus. Fine. You can come. Bring your human with you too. I could use the back-up."


	3. Short Change Hero

_Chicago, 1922_

Emma's sultry voice floated across her bar in downtown Chicago. She was one of the best singers in Chicago and people flocked to her speakeasy. She was known to seduce many men with her music. However, as she sang the chorus of the song again, she was seduced herself by a man sitting in a booth at her bar with a bottle of bourbon. He was gorgeous. Black hair, blue eyes, handsome as sin. Just her type. She knew he was a vampire too. She could smell the blood on his breath. When the song ended, she caught his eye and left the bar. She needed a drink. The human kind.

She found a woman standing in line to her bar and guided her to the back entrance, promising she'd escort her inside personally. Foolish human. Surrounded by darkness in the alley, Emma pushed the woman against the wall and sank her fangs into her neck. When the woman stopped resisting, Emma felt a presence behind her.

"How about a partner?" he smirked.

"I don't see why not. It'd be such a shame to waste all the blood she has left in her," Emma said, licking her lips. With renewed vigor, they both fed on the girl until she was completely drained.

"I'll take care of the body."

"Don't worry about it. My staff will dispose of her. They're all vampires."

"You must be Emma Petran."

"You know of me?"

"What vampire doesn't know of the queen?" Emma laughed.

"And who are you, handsome stranger?"

"Damon Salvatore."

"Well, Damon, I think you and I are going to have a lot of fun painting the town red."

_Chicago, 2010_

"Well, this brings back memories," Damon said as they entered the old building that used to be Emma's speakeasy in the 20s.

"I thought you might like coming here again. Klaus is going to meet us here."

"May I have this dance?" Damon asked, offering Emma his hand.

"There's no music."

"We'll make our own," Damon smirked as he pulled Emma into his arms.

"I know what you're doing."

"And what's that?"

"Trying to reel me back in."

"Is it working?"

"No. Problem is I'm not interested in you anymore. You're not the same man I fell in love with."

"Oh really?"

"You've lost your edge." Before Damon could inquire further, Klaus entered the room.

"I see they've opened the doors to the riffraff now," Klaus smirked.

"Oh honey, I've been called worse," Damon returned.

"Play nice, Klaus. He's with me."

"I didn't know you had Emma in your back pocket, Damon."

"A man never reveals his secrets."

"Enough chit-chat. Let's get down to business," Emma said. "What do I need to give you to release Stefan from his agreement?"

"I'm not giving you Stefan."

"Come on, Klaus. Every man has his price. I was the one who taught you that, remember?"

"I remember you taught me a lot of things. Especially under the sheets," Klaus smirked as Damon glared at Emma.

"That was a long time ago. I've moved on to bigger and better things." Damon tried to stifle his laughter as Klaus scowled at Emma. "You're using Stefan to find werewolves, correct?"

"Yes."

"You don't need Stefan for that. I'll lease you a few of my oldest vampires."

"That's it?"

"No. I'll even sweeten the deal for you. How about a complete list of all the werewolves in the continental US?"

"And how'd you come across that?"

"I've found it to be beneficial to avoid werewolves at all costs. I have a database on their locations. Helps me avoid them."

"Fine. You have a deal. Stefan, kind of sucks the fun out of everything anyway. But I fixed that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Damon asked, concerned.

"Oh, you know me. Playing around with a vampire's head can be such fun. If you want your brother still psychologically intact, you better stop him from ripping Alaric's head off." At super speed, Damon ran outside of the building and pulled Stefan off of Alaric. He hadn't lost too much blood, but Damon fed him his own blood just in case.

"This wasn't the deal, Klaus!" Emma yelled, walking outside with the hybrid.

"You never said he had to be boring St. Stefan. I'll leave you to fix him." Klaus then disappeared in a flash.

"Bastard," Emma muttered. "Stefan, what did Klaus compel you to do?"

"To turn it off. Can we go kill someone now? I'm starving."

"Get in the car, idiot. I'm taking you home. And no more chomping on Alaric's neck."

When Alaric, Damon, Stefan, and Emma arrived in Mystic Falls, Alaric made sure to warn Elena about Stefan's new personality. Emma sat outside the Boarding House, a glass of bourbon in her hand.

"Have you seen Stefan?" Damon asked.

"Nope. He probably went to go find something to eat."

"Pain in my ass," Damon grumbled. Emma laughed. "What's so funny?"

"It's just ironic. You used to not give a damn about humans and Stefan cared about them dearly. It's just funny how the roles have flipped."

"I could care less about the humans he kills. Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"Do you really not love me anymore?" Emma turned to Damon to see the vulnerability in his eyes. She thought back to the night she left Damon in Chicago, the night she saw those same eyes.

_Chicago, 1922_

"I have to leave, Damon. I can't be with you."

"Why? What's going on?"

"It's too dangerous," Emma said as she began to compel Damon. "I love you and it's because I love you that I can't have you with me. I care about you too much. I need you to forget that you love me. All you remember is that we met, had fun, drank, met some people, even ate a few of them. Then we went our separate ways." Before she left, Emma kissed Damon one last time. "I'll always love you, Damon, and I promise you that this isn't the end of our story. One day we'll be reunited."

_Mystic Falls, 2010_

"Emma," Damon said, pulling her out of the memory.

"The man I fell in love with then isn't the same man before me. I'll help you break Stefan's compulsion and once I have, I'm leaving again." With those words, Damon's heart broke a little and Emma disappeared into the forest. He didn't notice the lone tear that had traveled down her cheek.


	4. Suffocate

"Yes, Elena. Yes, I'm aware of the fact," said Damon on the phone as he left his car and walked across the street to a large Southern mansion. "Well, what do you want me to say? I'm working on it." For days, Damon had been trying to break through Stefan's compulsion and all Elena had done was nag and yell at him. Losing his last bit of patience, Damon hung up on her. There was only so much whiny Elena he could take.

After hearing a string of curses in a foreign language, Damon walked into the open garage.

"Hey, you doing okay?" Damon asked Emma, who was working on her white Lexus LFA. The hood was up and a large grease stain covered her shirt.

"Do I look okay? I fucking hate your brother."

"Nice ride. I'm assuming he did something to it."

"Took out the spark plugs. They're easy to get out, but a bitch to put back in."

"Well, if it's any consolation you look very sexy with grease stains," Damon smirked.

"How did you find out where I was living?"

"Just looked for the most expensive foreclosure in town."

"Right. I taught you that. What do you want?"

"How's the break Stefan's compulsion plan coming along?"

"We're getting there."

"Well how much longer? You need to de-Ripperfy him before he destroys my house."

"You can't rush genius, Damon."

"Well, hurry it up. Elena won't quit nagging me."

"Oh, 'cause the world revolves around the doppelganger," Emma muttered.

"You really don't like her, do you? When I introduced you two, you looked like you wanted to eat her."

"Do you really want me to answer that question honestly?" Emma said, finally turning to face Damon.

"Yeah. Never mind. God, I just need her to quit bothering me."

"Have you had a run-in with amnesia and forgotten you're a vampire?"

"You think I should compel her?"

"Hey. I'm just saying…I mean think about it. What's she going to do if the compulsion doesn't work or if it wears off? Scowl at you forever?" Damon laughed.

"I will pay you a hundred bucks if you say that to her face."

Emma shook her head and returned to working on her car's engine. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Shoot."

"What is it about the doppelganger that you love?"

"Well…" Damon hesitated. "She…" Damon then realizing he couldn't think of one thing.

"Are you happy around her? You two have fun? She accept you for who and what you are?" The bitterness in Emma's voice was blatantly obvious.

"It's complicated."

"Uh-huh. Sure. Whatever, Damon. It's your existence. Far be it for me to tell you how to live it. Do me a favor and turn on the engine. I think I got it." As Emma pushed the hood on the car down, Damon started the engine and the car roared to life. "Ah, music to my ears."

"I didn't know you were so into cars."

"Well, it's been ninety years, Damon. You should see my house in New York. I have five sports cars. It's a man's wet dream. I'll call you after I deal with Stefan today."

"You never did tell me your plan."

"I'm taking him out tonight. Don't tell Princess Elena. She might throw a shit fit. Later." Emma winked and then walked into the house leaving a seething Damon. Emma was going out on a date with his baby brother! Jealously boiled inside him.

About an hour later, Emma rode up in her car to Mystic Falls High, all the students in the quad watched not only the beautiful car, but the beautiful woman inside of it.

"Who is that?" Matt asked Elena, almost in awe.

"Emma Petran," Elena muttered. She didn't like Emma one bit. "She's Damon's ex."

"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked, approaching Emma's car.

"Get in, loser. We're going shopping," Emma replied.

"For what?"

"Party at my house. I need some fresh bodies."

"I'm in," Stefan said enthusiastically. Elena's mouth about dropped to the floor as she overheard the conversation. Damon had told her Emma was helping Stefan, but she was only encouraging his lust for blood…and taking her man at the same time. She immediately pulled out her phone and called Damon.

Before the Founder's barbeque, Damon was staking out Emma's house. Stefan had just left. Damon was pissed. What did Emma think she was doing? Inviting his brother over for blood and who knows what else. He knew he had to confront her. Emma was known for her sass, but she wasn't a total bitch. Why would she betray him like that?

"Oh, Damon, what a pitiful vampire you've become. You can come in now. Stef left and if you keep scowling like that, your face may remain that way permanently," Damon heard Emma say from inside the house.

"Are you trying to make me angry!" Damon yelled, walking into the kitchen of the mansion.

"Don't you miss it? The blood, the carnage, the fun, the awesome sex. Oh, don't worry so much. We didn't have sex if that's what you're worried about. Unlike my descendants, I don't do brothers. I have more class than that."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm hoping that Stefan's little bout with Ripperdom will wake you the hell up!"

"Excuse me?"

"You're weak," Emma spat.

"I am not!"

"Oh really?" At vampire speed, Emma came up behind Damon and pushed him into the wall…hard. "That prove my point?"

"What the hell's your problem! What do you want from me!"

"My problem is that the man I fell in love with is gone! You're so goddamn pathetic it makes me want to pull my hair out! You don't feed live anymore! You don't enjoy your life like you used to! I used to admire you. You were fierce and merciless and deadly. But now…you've been defanged by that doppelganger bitch. You're worse than Stefan when he was on bunnies. And as to what I want? I want you to stop being Stefan! You're not him! You never were! You reveled in being a vampire. You loved it. Yes, you missed your humanity, but you embraced what and who you were. How many times do you have to get burned before you realize that someone doesn't love you if they don't love everything about you! Love means not wanting to change that person, just accepting them. She doesn't deserve you. She never did. Not Katherine and sure as hell not Elena. You're a vampire, Damon. Not a whipped puppy. So get over yourself and be that man I met in the back of my club. Be the man that fed with me and painted Chicago red."

"And if I don't."

"If you don't, I'll end you," Emma chuckled.

"You aren't capable of that. You still love me." In a flash, Emma broke through Damon's rib cage and grabbed his heart. Damon was shocked.

"And it's because of that love, that'll I'll pull if I have to. But that day isn't today. I'm giving you one last chance. I suggest you take it." Emma removed her hand and washed the blood away at the sink. "Now get out of my house and don't come back until you've got your shit together."

In a blur, Damon disappeared and Emma sank to the floor. Her heart ached for Damon again. She had missed him so much, but she didn't want this version of him. She didn't want a man that Elena had ruined. Outside, Damon sat in his car as he processed everything that had happened. Emma was right. Elena had always tried to change him and make him into someone he wasn't. Turn him into Stefan. But Emma had accepted him for who he was. He knew tonight something had to change as he drove away from Emma's house and to the Lockwood's for the Founder's Barbeque.

He didn't return to Emma's street until midnight. The barbeque had been a disaster. He had compelled Caroline's father earlier to forget his daughter was a vampire and it hadn't worked. He attempted to kill him, but Caroline stopped him. He had also gotten in a fight with Elena and his suspicions had been confirmed. Elena had been trying to change him. He had resolved to forget about her. Recently, his feelings for Elena had been diminishing as his love for Emma had returned. He had been kicking himself for thinking he was ever in love with Katherine or Elena. The relationship he had had with Emma in the 20s had been the most real thing he had ever felt. It had been love. And his conversation with Emma today had been a massive wake-up call.

He walked into Emma's living room. She never locked the front door. She was a three thousand year old vampire. What did she have to be afraid of? Emma was on the couch, reading a book.

"You were right," he mumbled to her. She didn't look up.

"I usually am. What was I right about this time?"

"What you said…about turning into someone I'm not. I shouldn't have to live up to anyone's expectations." Emma slightly smiled.

"So what are you here for?"

"I'm hungry. How about a partner?" Damon smirked. Emma giggled. They were the first words he had said to her when they met.

"I don't see why not," Emma replied, repeating the words she had said to Damon in Chicago. At vampire speed, the couple left the house and went to the woods. They heard a group of four campers by the falls, two couples. Damon and Emma attacked the men. The women screamed and ran further into the forest. When Emma dropped her human to the ground, dead, she watched as Damon finished his meal.

"Feel better?" Emma asked.

"Much."

"You let the women run?" Emma asked.

"Oh, Emma. You know that the blood tastes better with a little fear." Emma smirked and they rushed for the women. It wasn't long before they were drained as well. Emma used her own blood to heal the bite marks and they threw the bodies over the cliff of the falls. The current would take them downstream.

"What do you want to do now?" Emma asked, turning to Damon. His eyes grew dark and he appeared in front of Emma.

"Now. I want to do this," Damon whispered before his lips crashed against hers. His hands pulled her auburn hair out of her messy chignon. Emma moaned as he pressed her against a tree and kissed down her cheek to her neck.

"What about Elena?" Emma asked, the wind knocked out of her.

"Elena who?" he smirked.

"There's my boy."

"Boy? I'm all man. Or hadn't you noticed."

"Oh, I noticed. I hear you have a nice big bed at home. Why don't we put it to use?"

Damon groaned and they both turned into crows, flying into the night. It didn't take them long to reach the Boarding House as Damon's window was open. Back in human form, Damon pushed Emma against his door and locked it. He didn't want any interruptions. Their hips ground together as Emma removed Damon's jacket. At vampire strength, she ripped Damon's shirt and unbuckled his pants. She needed skin. She craved for the taste of him as she kissed and licked every inch of him.

"Hmm. I missed you," Damon groaned.

"I missed you more. You ruined me. No other man can satisfy me but you." Damon didn't think he could get any harder, but he was proven wrong.

"God, Emma!" Damon groaned as he pulled Emma roughly to him in a hungry kiss. Emma devilishly smirked. This is what she wanted. She wanted to see the real Damon, not what everyone wanted him to be. She wanted to see the raw passion and the heat. She wanted Damon to take her and consume her.

"Yes," Emma muttered, her lust for Damon devouring her as he pulled her dress off. His mouth blazed down her neck, licking and biting. Emma felt like she'd combust when he roughly turned her around, pushing her front into the wall.

"You're mine now," Damon growled. Emma cried at the intensity of Damon as he roughly caressed one of her breasts with one hand and cupped her sex with the other. Yes, this was what she wanted. They both started to pant as Damon ripped off her undergarments and fondled her clit. Emma moaned and arched at his touch. "I do like your fire, lover, but you all submissive is even better."

Emma moaned Damon's name as he slid a finger inside her and then two more at once. She was so tight and wet it nearly drove Damon to the brink as his fingers thrust in and out of her.

"Say it," Damon groaned.

"Oh, I'm yours," Emma moaned, her blood devastated by the pleasure Damon wrought.

"Tell me what you want," said Damon, smirking as he pressed himself against her back.

"Take me. Ruin me. Do whatever you fucking want with me. Just make me yours again."

"With pleasure." He quickly twisted her around and pushed her onto the bed, following her soon after. Before she even knew what was happening, Damon stabbed her womanhood with his hard cock. They both gasped at the feeling.

"Oh, God, yes!" Emma screamed as Damon rocked against her. It had been so long since she had been truly pleasured by a man. Yes, she had had sex since she had left Damon, but none had truly fulfilled her like he could. Damon slowly and steadily thrust into Emma's core. It was glorious. It was like heaven and hell all at once. Feeling her walls constrict, he pulled Emma's leg over his shoulder and kissed her without restraint.

"Don't stop. Oh, don't ever stop," said Emma, feeling her climax quickly approaching. Emma didn't know how many more thrusts it took before her entire world exploded, her whole body shaking with a pleasure so intense she forgot everything about herself. If you asked her for her name, all that would come out would be a garbled mess. When they collapsed, Damon stayed inside her, wanting to relish the intimacy. Emma traced small patterns with her fingertips across his back while Damon laid kisses between the valley of her breasts and shoulders.

"Stay with me forever?" Emma whispered. Damon looked up and ran his hand up her leg to her side and eventually weaving into her hair. Emma shivered at his touch. It was electric.

"Nothing could ever tear me away from you. I have wanted you back from the moment your compulsion wore off." As she smiled, he kissed her.


	5. Before The Worst

The morning sun filtered in through the curtains of Damon's bedroom, brightening the tint of Emma's auburn hair. Groaning, Emma flipped sides, colliding with Damon's chest. She knew he was up as he cradled her in his arms, his hand tracing circles on the skin of her arm. Emma sighed in contentment, wrapping her arm around Damon's torso.

"Good morning," Damon whispered into her ear, his arm moving up to massage her scalp.

"No. Too early," Emma grumbled.

"You are so not a morning person," Damon chuckled.

"Your bed is too comfortable. Can we stay here forever?"

"As long as you want, princess," Damon replied as his phone rang. They both groaned in protest. He grabbed his phone from the bedside table and rolled his eyes at the caller ID. Elena. "What?"

"Hey, I called you ten times last night. We need to talk."

"Sorry. I've been…busy." Emma laughed slightly, nuzzling Damon's neck.

"If you're mad at me, Damon, you need to get over it."

"Trust me. I'm over it," Damon said before hanging up.

"You're mean," Emma teased.

"You got that right. Are you hungry?"

"Uh-huh."

"I'll go get us some blood. Don't you move."

"I won't. I promise," Emma said as Damon left the bed. In a few minutes, he returned with a bag of blood, which they split.

"We're back together, right?" Damon asked as he flopped back down on the pillows.

"Of course. What made you think otherwise?"

"Well, you said you don't do brothers, yet you went out with Stefan."

"It wasn't a date, silly," Emma said, rolling on top of Damon's body so she was straddling him. "Step one of breaking Stefan's compulsion is getting him to trust me and if that means I have to bond with him over a few fresh bodies, well…"

"What's step two?"

"I'm much older than Klaus, Damon. Once Stefan trusts me, I can override the compulsion."

"How do you even know how to break through compulsion?"

"Every compulsion has a loophole. Klaus compelled Stefan to turn off his emotions. That doesn't mean he has to _keep_ them off."

"Well, aren't you clever," Damon said, surprised.

"Among other things," Emma shrugged. "Just so we're clear, I'm not some rebound."

"I know that," Damon replied, massaging the skin of Emma's neck. "Although I think you could have garnered my attention without jamming your hand into my chest. I was ready to take you back since the moment I saw you leaning against my car."

"I was still mad at you."

"You were mad at me? Shouldn't that be the other way around? You were the one who compelled me."

"I was mad that you'd fallen for a human. I know how those relationships work."

"You do, huh?"

"I've had a few experiences and they always ended up in tears and heartbreak. I didn't want that for you. Humans…they'll never fully understand what it is to be a vampire until they become one. Your heart was broken once. I didn't want that to happen again so yes, I resorted to violence."

"It's okay. I forgive you. All's well that ends well. Why did you compel me by the way? You said it wasn't safe. What were you running from?"

"Damon," Emma whispered, looking away. In a flash, Damon flipped them over and forced Emma to look at him.

"Hey. Look at me. Tell me."

"You don't have to worry about him anymore."

"Him?"

"A hunter," Emma sighed. "I pissed him off and I'd been running from him."

"I would have run with you."

"I know. That's why I had to send you away. I couldn't risk it. I loved you too much. I still do. I was miserable for decades. All I thought about was you. All the time. Constantly. He was dealt with in the 90s. He won't bother me again."

"The 90s. Why didn't you come find me then?"

"Because you were obsessed with releasing Katherine. If we were ever going to be together, I knew you needed to resolve your feelings for her. And then after Katherine, you wanted Elena and…" Damon could see the sadness in her eyes as she trailed off. He couldn't bear to see it so he kissed her.

"Just promise me one thing. You won't ever keep me in the dark. You won't ever compel me again."

"I promise. I hated compelling you. I felt like I was ripping my heart out. I'm sorry."

"And I'm sorry I put you through so much pain. But I do know how to make it up to you," Damon smirked.

"And how's that, Mister Salvatore?" Emma grinned cheekily. Instead of returning with some witty remark, Damon kissed her softly at first. As his kisses grew more passionate, Emma groaned. Damon wrapped Emma's leg around his torso, but was pulled out of kissing Emma when he heard a breathy gasp. Emma turned to the door to see Elena standing in the doorway, shocked.

"Oh, look. It's the buzz kill doppelganger," Emma scowled.

"Hello, Elena," Damon groaned.

"So _this_ is why you wouldn't call me back!"

"Don't be such a drama queen."

"Are you still on vervain?"

"Seriously? You think Emma had to compel me?"

"So is that how it's going to be now? I hurt your feelings and this is how you lash out at me?"

"Or maybe, for once, something I did had nothing to do with you."

"Ooh. Burn," Emma smirked.

"Shut up," Elena returned.

"Hey. Don't talk to my girlfriend like that," Damon threatened.

"I need to talk to you," Elena said to Damon, trying to ignore Emma.

"Let me think about that. Uh, no. Don't let the door hit you on the way out," Damon smirked before returning to kiss Emma. Inside, Emma was laughing and crying at the same time. Her Damon was back…for good.

After a round of morning sex and a long shower, Emma and Damon dressed and were about to head downstairs when they heard loud music coming from the living room. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Damon helped Emma step over two dead girls on the floor. In the living room, Stefan was sitting on the couch while two compelled girls were playing the Ripper's version of Twister.

"Uh-oh. Alexandra, left hand, please."

"You have two bodies bleeding out on your staircase," Emma said.

"I'll clean it up later. Would you two like a spin?"

"I'll pick you up for the bonfire tonight, okay?" Damon said to Emma, ignoring Stefan.

"Okay." After a long kiss goodbye, Emma left.

"So you two got back together, huh?" Stefan asked.

"What can I say? I'm irresistible. Now who are we eating?"

When Emma arrived at home, Elena and Bonnie were waiting for her. She had been expecting Bonnie, but not Elena.

"What are _you_ doing here? I don't need a doppelganger to put wards around my house."

"You have ruined everything for me! I don't care if you're helping Stefan. I want you out of this town," Elena spat. Emma looked at Bonnie, an eyebrow arched.

"I tried to warn her," Bonnie shrugged.

"Let's make one thing clear. I am _very_, _very_ old. Older than Klaus. You do not want to get on my bad side, Katherine 2.0."

"I am _not_ Katherine."

"Oh really?" Emma scoffed. "You're the one whose constantly fucking with Damon's feelings just like little miss Katerina. So tell me. What makes you so different?"

"You really are pathetic. Damon will never love you because he's in love with me. He would kick you to the curb in a second." Bonnie's eyes widened. She'd never realized Elena was so vindictive. Emma chuckled slightly.

"I'll admit. You've got guts. However, I suggest that if you want to keep them, you get the hell off my property." Emma then walked into her home, slamming the door shut.

"That bitch," Elena muttered.

"If anyone's the bitch, Elena, it's you," Bonnie said, walking into the house.

Later that night, Emma heard a knock on the door, figuring it was Damon. She opened the door and her smile melted when she saw Mikael standing behind the threshold.

"Mikael," she said underneath her breath.

"You look surprised to see me, Emmalyne."

"You were desiccated in Charlotte."

"Yes. I was. A little vampire named Katherine freed me." Emma inwardly scowled. Damn that Katherine. Always sticking her nose where it doesn't belong.

"You can't come in the house. My wards are protecting it."

"On the contrary, Emma. I can enter your home," said Mikael, crossing the threshold. Emma stepped back into the wall. Even though Mikael was younger than her, he had the same strength and abilities she had due to his penchant for drinking vampire blood.

"How?"

"Esther has temporarily weakened the spell on the Other Side."

"If you're going to kill me, just do it. Get it over with."

"I'm not going to kill you, dear. Not yet anyways. You're going to lead me to Niklaus."

"And if I don't."

"Oh, trust me. With what I have planned, you will fully cooperate." Emma then felt a stabbing pain in her side. Mikael had sped to her and injected her with a concentrated amount of vervain. She then collapsed.


	6. Cold War Transmissions

When Emma woke, she found herself in a dirty dungeon, her hands chained to the wall.

"Great, just great," Emma groaned.

"Hmm. I thought you were going to get all weepy on me when you woke up." Emma turned her head to see Damon next to her.

"Live for three thousand years and you get used to your enemies locking you up in the filthiest of environments. You okay?"

"Yeah. You?"

"I'm still a little out of it. Mikael likes to concentrate his vervain. I'm not at full strength."

"I thought you said this Mikael guy was out of commission."

"Yeah, well…Katerina had to go and fuck things up as usual. How'd he find you?"

"I came over to your house and he vervained me. I suspect he's going to use me against you."

"Mikael. Eternal pain in my ass."

"Eternal?"

"I've been running from him for three hundred years. He's Klaus' father and a vampire vampire hunter. He drinks vampire blood. That's what makes him as strong as me."

"That's kind of twisted."

"Yeah. No kidding. Can you break your bonds?"

"I already did."

"Then what are you doing here!"

"Like I'm going to let some crazy vampire hunter kill you. When I get an opening, I'll free you and we'll leave together."

"You're too sweet for your own good." Emma turned her head when she heard the door creak open.

"It seems Sleeping Beauty has awoken," Mikael smirked.

"Mikael. Leave Damon out of this. He has nothing to do with our problems."

"But he's important to you. Which is why you'll tell me where Klaus is."

"I may have given Klaus a few tips on vampirehood, but that doesn't mean I'm in constant contact with him." Suddenly, Mikael jammed his fist into Damon's chest. "Stop it, Mikael! Leave him alone!"

"Careful, Emma. One move and his heart's gone. You keep track of all the Originals and you clean up all their messes. It's a fact. Where is Klaus? Come on, Emma. One twist and he's dead."

"Seattle! He's in Seattle making hybrids."

"Good girl," said Mikael as he removed his hand from Damon's chest, leaving the vampire's heart intact. "I'll be back if this information proves false. I'm sure you can both show yourselves out." Mikael then left at vampire speed.

"That guy's one scary dude," Damon said as his wound healed.

"Yeah. Definitely made a mistake pissing him off. You okay?"

"I've been better. Let's get you out of here," said Damon as he removed his shackles and removed Emma's. Damon picked Emma up bridal style and at vampire speed took her to her house. He knew about the wards protecting her house and knew it would be safer than the Boarding House.

"Bring me my bag. I have to warn Klaus."

"Why? I've been trying to kill Klaus for months. Let Mikael kill him."

"You don't know, do you?" Emma asked, surprised. She had figured Sage would have told Damon about vampire bloodlines.

"Know what?"

"You were turned by Katherine. Katherine was turned by Rose. Rose was turned by Mary Porter."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Damon interrupted.

"I have a point. Mary Porter was turned by Klaus. If Klaus dies, everyone in his bloodline dies."

"Including me," said Damon as he handed Emma her purse and she pulled out her cellphone. She had several missed calls and text messages.

"Exactly. You were stupid to make an enemy of Klaus. He's better off as an ally. And there's a reason they call me The Guardian. For centuries, I've protected the Originals. Cleaned up their messes. It is important that they survive. If the vampire species becomes extinct, there will be no population control for humans. The existence of vampires is necessary for balance. A concept the Original Witch does not seem to grasp." Emma then chuckled at a text.

"What?"

"Well, it seems you're on Klaus' good side now."

"And how's that?"

"Katherine was the one who freed Mikael from his imprisonment. The vampires that work for me caught wind of it and captured her. They sent her gift-wrapped to Klaus on your behalf."

"Gift-wrapped?"

"In a potato sack."

"Oh, I bet Katherine loved that!" Damon laughed. Emma dialed a number and called Klaus.

"What the hell did you do!" Klaus answered.

"Huh? Mikael can't be there already."

"Mikael? What are you talking about? I'm talking about my coffins!"

"Alright, slow down. You tell me what's happened on your end and I'll tell you about Mikael."

"I congratulate you on breaking through my compulsion. Stefan's emotions are back on. He was quite angry when he visited me last night. He stole my coffins!"

"What! We'll get them back Klaus, okay? Are you still in Seattle?"

"Yes."

"You need to leave immediately. Send out a false trail. Katherine released Mikael. That's why Damon sent her to you. Mikael knows where you are. Come to Mystic Falls and I'll help you with this coffin business."

"And Mikael?"

"We'll take care of him together. I promise."

"I'll be there by sunset," Klaus said before hanging up.

"What was that about?" Damon asked.

"Over the centuries, Klaus has hunted his family down, daggered them, and kept them in coffins."

"I thought it was your job to protect the Originals."

"It is. The Originals have an…appetite for destruction. I've found it proves to be beneficial if they're incapacitated. Keeps them in one place and out of trouble."

"So what's your plan?"

"Oh no. You aren't having anything to do with this. There's a reason I kept you out of this business in the 20s."

"Emma, you promised. We're in this together. Please."

"Alright, but you have to trust me and do exactly as I say."

"Okay. I trust you."

"First step, we need to find Stefan. Any ideas where he'd hide a few coffins?"

"A few," Damon smirked. "Why don't you get changed? You're all dirty from the Lockwood cellar. Meet me at the Boarding House and we'll search for Stefan together."

About a half-hour later, Damon and Emma arrived at the abandoned witch house.

"I thought Bonnie said this place lost all its mojo," Emma said.

"The dead witches were angry at her for bringing Jeremy back to life when he got shot by the Sheriff. I guess now they have something they want her to know," Damon explained.

"Witches. So fickle, passive aggressive," Emma mumbled as they entered the house. "Stefan?"

"Come on, Stef!" said Damon. As his skin began to burn, he rushed to a shadowy corner. "Really! Still!"

"What?"

"Witchy spirits aren't a big fan. And they use their juju to screw with my ring!" Emma waved her hand, casting a spell, and the burning ceased. "How'd you do that?"

"It helps to be dating a girl who can perform blood magic. I cast a spell overriding the Bennett witches. They can't play with your ring anymore."

The couple walked further into the house, finding Stefan in the basement.

"Go away. You two shouldn't be here," Stefan said.

"Stefan, we need your help," Emma said.

"Not interested."

"Listen, you need to give Klaus his family back," Damon added.

"Oh, really? Is that what I _need_ to do? I'm not giving Klaus anything. Piece by piece he took everything from me. I'm doing the same to him."

"Don't be such a child!" Emma yelled. "You want to take on Klaus? You don't do it by hiding in a witch house!"

"Klaus' family is one weakness I can use against him."

"Use against him to do what?" Damon yelled. "You can't kill him. Because if you do, we all die! We're connected through his blood, Stefan."

"Wait a minute," Emma said. "You want to hit Klaus where it hurts right?"

"Yeah," Stefan admitted cautiously.

"I know how to do it without killing him. It'll work out for all of us. What do you say, Stefan?" Damon looked at Emma curiously. She subtly winked at him.

"I don't need your help."

"Really? Last time I checked you're hiding in a haunted house," Damon spat.

"I'm in this alone, Damon."

"If you go after Klaus you have to be cutthroat and devious. I'm so much better at that than you. Come on, brother. It'll be like old times."

"You two want in?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. But it's just us. Elena stays out of it."

"Deal." Damon agreed as Emma nodded her head.

"Have a look," said Stefan, nodding to the basement floor.

"What? Klaus is allergic to dust?" Emma asked.

"Look harder." Suddenly, five coffins appeared. "The witch spirits hate Klaus as much as I do. They're using their powers to hide the coffins."

"So even if he comes in the house…"

"He won't be able to find them," Stefan finished.


	7. This Means War

As Bonnie attempted to open Klaus' locked coffin, Damon, Emma, and Stefan were walking up to the old witch house.

"You didn't say anything to Elena about the coffins, right?" Stefan asked.

"No, I said I wouldn't," Damon answered.

"I know what you said."

"Then why are you asking?"

"Because protecting the location of Klaus' family is my number one priority right now. And the fewer people who know, the better." Suddenly, Emma stopped walking.

"What's wrong, babe?" Damon asked.

As Bonnie walked slowly to the staircase of the witch house, she saw Damon. He motioned for her to be quiet. Outside, a hybrid walked out through the back door, running into Stefan. Before the hybrid could vamp out, however, Emma ripped his heart out.

"These hybrids. They're really bringing the neighborhood down," Emma joked as she threw the hybrid's heart on the ground, her hand drenched in blood. Klaus had arrived to town a few days ago and had been using his hybrids to search for Stefan. A few minutes later, Damon was in the basement, hitting the coffin with a shovel.

"You're wasting your time. It won't open. Did you bury the body?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah. Any sign of our little hybrid buddies?"

"Nope, just the dead one."

"Alright, Klaus has six siblings," Emma explained. "There was one dead kid in the old world, one dead kid in the new world, which leaves Elijah, Kol, Finn, and Rebekah. Four sleeping originals, five coffins. So who is in the lock box?"

"No idea. But the sooner Bonnie can get this open, the better," Stefan said.

"You would think the spirits of a bunch of dead witches that can make a coffin invisible would have figured out how to _open_ one," Damon suggested. "Fine, don't help."

"You know none of this is gonna do us any good if Klaus' hybrid friends find our hiding place, right? They need to go away."

"Oh yeah, that's a great idea, Stefan," Emma said sarcastically. "Why don't you just ask them to pack a bag and take a long vacation while we're at it. How about trying to keep the peace? Don't draw attention to the things we're trying to hide."

"No. I'm not gonna play defense when I have what Klaus wants. He does what I say or I dump his family to the bottom of the ocean."

"And he kills you and everyone you know like, I don't know...me!" Damon yelled.

"No, he's bluffing. His family means more to him than anything else."

"You sure about that?" Emma asked.

"Well I don't know, Emma. I mean, I guess there's only one way to find out, right? Call his bluff."

"Whoa. The only way to call someone's bluff, Stefan, is to be willing to lose everything if you're wrong." Stefan then left.

"That's not good," Damon muttered. "We've got to stop him from doing something stupid."

"No. Let him do it. This will keep him occupied enough to initiate our plan."

"Which is?" Emma opened up Elijah's coffin and removed the dagger in his chest. She then placed a note in his jacket pocket.

"We're going to have a little family reunion. Call Klaus." Several minutes later, Klaus arrived at the witch mansion.

"Hiding behind your witchy friends. And in squalor no less," said Klaus. Suddenly, pain rocked through his body as Damon laughed.

"Insulting a bunch of dead witches...not smart. I made the exact same mistake first time I came in here."

"Alright, ladies. Lay off!" Emma yelled. The fires from the multiple candles in the room died down as well as the pain inflicted upon Klaus.

"Please show me my coffins," Klaus said. Four coffins were revealed. "Here we are. Where's the fifth? Show me!"

"Well, here's the thing. They can't. It's not here," said Emma

"What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. Stefan has hidden the last coffin somewhere else. He thinks it's more important for some reason. I'm still searching for it. I've given you your siblings back. You could at least thank me."

"Thank you, Emma. I will see you at the party tonight?"

"Of course. I wouldn't miss the Wickery Bridge fundraiser for the world."

That night, Damon, Emma, and Alaric arrived at Founder's Hall for the fundraiser.

"I thought Stefan saved your life," Alaric said.

"He did."

"And now he's willing to risk it just to see how far he can push Klaus?"

"It seems so."

"So is his humanity on or off?"

"I think there's another option in play," said Emma. The boys both looked at her and she explained further, "A dimmer switch, which is a huge problem."

"Why?" Alaric asked.

"Because I can't predict how far he is willing to go until someone gets killed. Can't a council meeting ever just be a council meeting?" Damon shook his head. After a half-hour of attending the dull as dishwater party, Emma had already gone through three glasses of champagne.

"Damon, I'm bored. Can we go?" Emma complained.

"I'm gonna get a drink, write a check, and then we're out." He kissed Emma before leaving for the bar. As Damon gathered his drink, a conversation between the mayor and a certain hybrid piqued his attention.

"Well, well. Look at what the cat dragged in," said Damon, walking over to Carol and Klaus. "Nice vest."

"Thank you very much. Good to see you, Damon. Carol and I were discussing about whether you would be the other big benefactor."

"What do you say, Damon? Klaus has made a very generous pledge. You know how we're chomping at the bit to begin the renovation."

"Carol, don't take this the wrong way, but do you realize that you've been kissing the ass of an immortal hybrid?"

"Klaus has promised to protect our town, Damon."

"From who? His hybrids are the ones the town needs protection from."

"Well, I'd have no use for them if your brother would kindly return my last coffin."

"Not gonna happen."

"That's what I thought, which is why I've come to an agreement with the mayor. You and the council stay out of my hair, I stay out of yours. Your town gets protected, my hybrids get left alone and everybody will be happy. All you have to do is to get Stefan to stop decapitating my friends."

"Please Damon, just get your brother under control or the council will be forced to take action against him."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Oh come on, mate. Give peace a chance." Several minutes later, Damon saw Stefan attempting to kill another of Klaus' hybrids. Damon stopped him and pushed his brother against a wall.

"What are you doing?" Stefan asked.

"What are you doing? No dead hybrids at the Founder's Party!" Damon heatedly whispered.

"What? My plan to extreme for you?"

"No. But I happen to like my head attached to my shoulders."

"I told Klaus to get his hybrids out of town. He didn't listen so I'm saying it louder."

"You don't think there's ten more where that came from? And if you kill them, Klaus won't make twenty more? And don't give me that no-humanity crap. You can't just flip your switch. Your switch is fried, Stefan, just like your brain. You want to take on Klaus? You want to be the villain? You got to be smarter."

"To be the villain Damon, you have to be the better villain." Stefan clapped Damon's shoulder.

"Would you two chill out?" Emma asked, entering the room.

"What are you up to, Emma?" Stefan asked. "You have that familiar plotting glimmer in your eye."

"I gave Klaus four of his coffins back."

"What!"

"Don't get your panties in a twist. I didn't give him the locked one. Besides, me giving Klaus those coffins back isn't what's important. What's important is this," Emma said, revealing the silver dagger she had pulled out of Elijah's chest.

"What did you do?" Stefan asked incredulously.

That night at Klaus' mansion, one of Klaus' hybrids moved the coffins of the Original Family into a large room. Klaus was standing beside him.

"You've got your family back finally. You gonna open them?" the hybrid asked.

"Not quite yet. I still have some unfinished business to take care of."

"What business?" Suddenly, the hybrid was squirming and fell to the floor, dead. Elijah was standing behind him, holding his heart in his hand.

"So, Niklaus…"

"Elijah?" Klaus whispered, shocked.

"What did I miss?"


	8. Come Alive

Damon and Emma waited out in a meadow by the woods, prepared to meet with Elijah. One of Emma's spies had told her that Elijah's reunion with Klaus had been a little bloody.

"Elijah, my favorite Original back from the dead. You clean up nice," Emma said when Elijah arrived.

"You left something in my jacket pocket," said Elijah, pulling out a note.

"Oh, yeah. 'Dear Elijah, let's get together. Plot the destruction of your brother, XOXO.'"

"Emmalyne."

"Was I right to undagger you or are we gonna have a problem?"

"I'm here. Let's talk."

"I'll start with an easy question," Damon said. "Any idea what kind of Klaus killing weapon could be magically sealed in a mystery coffin?"

"It is my mother. I was aware Klaus kept her body sealed in the coffin."

"Ah, Esther. The Original Witch. She almost killed me one time, you know? We'll deal with your mother in time," Emma said. "I've just received word that Mikael is coming here, Elijah. I'm going to need your siblings' help with dispatching him. I don't care how you do it, but make Klaus amenable."

"Klaus still keeps my brothers and sister daggered."

"That's why we're going to have a little party. It's time Klaus learned that he can't always get what he wants."

About an hour later at the Salvatore Boarding House, Damon was talking to Stefan, trying to get him out of the house while Emma helped Bonnie open the coffin. Emma was planning on using Esther as a power source for her magic.

"Get dressed. We're going out," said Damon.

"Sorry. Not interested."

"I didn't ask. Elijah, Emma, and I have scheduled a very old-fashioned sit down with you and Klaus. I say go with the black. Makes you look all villainy," said Damon, looking at two dress shirts in Stefan's closet.

"Klaus won't make a deal, Damon."

"He doesn't have to. All we're doing is buying a little time to give my wicked witches a chance to pop the top off the coffin."

"So that's your plan? Stall Klaus."

"Well, if you hadn't gone postal on his hybrids, I may have had some options!"

"So you unleash an Original to help him out?"

"Reviving Elijah was smart. Are you kidding me? After what Klaus did to him. He's in vengeance mode. It's perfect."

"There's nothing smart about trusting an Original, Damon."

"Well, the way you've been acting I trust him about much as I trust you. So get ready and get happy. We're going to negotiate a fake truce and I don't want your attitude screwing it up."

That night, Elijah opened the door at Klaus' mansion and saw Stefan, Emma, and Damon waiting outside.

"Niklaus, our guests have arrived."

"Damon. Stefan. Emma. Elijah tells me you seek an audience," Klaus said as the three vampires entered the house. "Very bold. Let's discuss the terms of our agreement like civilized men, shall we?"

"It's better to indulge him," Elijah suggested.

"I didn't come here to eat, Klaus," said Stefan. "In fact, I didn't want to come here at all. But I was told I had to cause you would hear us out."

"Well, we can sit and eat or I can reach down your throats and pull out your insides. The choice is yours." They all sat at the table and ate and drank, except Stefan. "You lost your appetite?" Klaus asked.

"Eat," Emma muttered. "I thought we agreed that we would leave the grumpy Stefan at home." Not at all happy, Stefan picked up his fork.

"That's the spirit. Isn't this nice? Five of us dining together? Such a treat. Is this what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger from my brother, Emma?"

"Well, I know how he felt about you, so I figured the more, the merrier."

"Well, Elijah and I have had our share of quarrels over the century. But we always make it through."

"Kind of like you and Rebekah, right? Where is she, by the way? Last I checked you daggered her in the 20s because you were afraid to face her," Stefan snapped.

"If you're referring to the fact that Rebekah knows I killed our mother, I've already come clean to Elijah."

"Hey, Stef, remember when you killed dad? Might want to dial down the judgment until dessert."

"We're here to make a deal, Damon. Doesn't mean we need to kiss his ass for seven courses."

"I'm just saying we have a long evening ahead of us. Pace yourself."

"Why don't we move this evening along and discuss the terms of our proposal," Emma said. "Klaus gets his coffin back. In exchange, he and the Original extended family leave Mystic Falls forever. Me, Stefan, and Damon live happily ever after. No grudges."

"Deal sounds fair, brother," Elijah counseled.

"I don't think so."

"Ah, so it's going to be the hard way?" Emma asked. "Let's see what your other siblings have to say, Klaus. Oh, Kol!" Klaus' eyes widened in surprise when a dagger hit Klaus square in the chest.

"Hello, brother," said Kol, emerging from the room with Rebekah and Finn.

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this," said Stefan, sitting back in his chair.

"Brother, do something!" Klaus yelled.

"I've learned not to trust your vulgar promises, Klaus," said Elijah.

"I think we'll leave you to enjoy the family reunion. Let me know the date when you want to host the ball, Elijah," Emma added before leaving with Stefan and Damon.

"I like what you've done with the place, Nik," said Rebekah as she threw a glass into a painting.

"I wanted it to be for all of us. A place we could all call home. A place we could all be a family. None of us would ever have to be alone again."

"Well, you're right none of us will be," said Elijah.

"You're staying behind. We're leaving you, Klaus, after paying our respects to the queen and then you will be alone. Always and forever," Rebekah elaborated.

After reacquainting themselves with their youngest sibling, the Originals held a ball for the queen and her entourage of vampires. Unknown to the guests, Damon, Emma, and Elijah were using the ball to lure Mikael out of hiding. Damon and Emma also had another objective to accomplish during the ball due to the power Emma had recently acquired from Esther's coffin. Around ten o'clock, the party was in full swing. Damon was speaking with Carol Lockwood at the moment.

"Hanging out with your new besties?" Damon asked.

"I'm the mayor, Damon. When the oldest, deadliest, family of vampires moves into your town, you welcome them with a smile."

"Hmm, well at least you know who you're borrowing that cup of sugar from."

"I'm trying to protect this town. They've assured me they want peace, and I've assured them that I'd enforce it."

"Mayor Lockwood. We haven't formally met. Kol Mikaelson. I hope your lovely town embraces us just as much as we plan to embrace it."

"Damon Salvatore. Have we met?"

"I've met a lot of people and you don't particularly stand out." After sending Kol a withering glare, Damon turned to see Emma walk into the room in a gorgeous red dress. Damon was floored.

"Excuse me, Carol," said Damon as he approached Emma. "You look stunning if it wasn't obvious."

"Thank you. Let's get this party started, shall we?"


	9. Devotion

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries show or books. I only own Emma. ****There is SMUT. Do not read if you don't like it.**

After Elijah's opening speech, Emma and Damon had snuck into a back room of the house. Damon removed a loose floorboard and pulled out a briefcase. Inside the case were six black daggers. Emma slit her hand with one dagger and let her blood fall on each of the weapons. With a few whispered words, the daggers glowed and were imbued with Emma's spell.

"Well?" Damon asked.

"The daggers are spelled. A vampire can now wield them and once an Original is struck in the heart with them, it will kill them and sever all the ties in their bloodline, allowing the rest of the vampire species to thrive. Mikael should be arriving any minute if he hasn't already. We will both dagger Niklaus and Mikael. Then we'll deal with the others."

"Are you sure about not telling Stefan?"

"I'm sure. We can't afford for Stefan to screw this up. If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. Before we go out there, there's something I need to tell you."

"Okay."

"If something happens to me—"

"Emma."

"No. If something happens to me, I want you to promise me something. You won't let anyone try and change you into something you're not and you won't be second best to anyone. You deserve the best."

"I promise," Damon said before kissing her. "But nothing's going to happen to you. Not if I have anything to say about it."

Meanwhile by the front door, Klaus had come face-to-face with his father who was outside. Mikael had never been invited into the house.

"Hello, Niklaus," Mikael greeted.

"Hello, Mikael. Why don't you come in? Oh, that's right. I forgot. You can't."

"Or you can come outside if you want."

"Or I could watch my hybrids tear you limb from limb."

"They can't kill me."

"True. But it'll make a hell of a party game. All I have to do is rub these two fingers together and they'll pounce."

"The big bad wolf. You haven't changed. Still hiding behind your playthings like a coward. Come out and face me, Niklaus."

"I don't think so."

"Nobody cares about you anymore, boy! What do you have other than those whose loyalty you forced? No one. No one. Now, come outside and face me, you little coward."

"My whole life you've underestimated me. I will no longer be bullied by you."

"My thoughts exactly," said Emma as she came up behind Mikael and daggered him. Damon did the same to Klaus. They both fell to the ground, flames consuming them.

"What did you do, Emma?" Elijah asked, running down the stairs.

"For most of my existence I've pandered to the Originals, been pulled into their squabbles. Never been able to have a life of my own. I will stand for it no longer." Elijah turned around when he heard a gasp. Damon had daggered Finn. Using the distraction, Emma daggered Elijah. At vampire speed, Emma moved to Damon to retrieve her final dagger and as Kol and Rebekah attacked them, Damon and Emma used their daggers against them. All the Originals had been killed, their blood ties broken.

"We did it. We actually did it," Damon said, a little surprised.

"Was there any doubt in your mind?"

"What do we do now?" Damon asked as Emma's vampires began to pick up the Originals bodies to dispose of them.

"Now? Now we have a little fun."

Later that night, artwork and vases fell to the floor as Damon pushed Emma against the wall. They had just come home from a hunt and to say Damon was horny would have been a severe understatement. This was how it was every time they hunted together. There was something about the adrenaline, the blood, and being together that drove Emma and Damon to an insane state of arousal.

"Tell me to stop," Damon groaned in between kisses as he ripped her dress off her.

"I can't," she replied, giving into Damon's unyielding kisses with a soft moan. "I love you." Damon smiled. The amount of passion they had for each other was terrifying but exhilarating all at the same time.

"Tell me again," Damon breathed.

"I love you," said Emma as Damon blazed a wet trail of kisses down her shoulder and pushed her onto the bed. Emma was about to chide Damon for being so rough, but words became completely lost to her when his mouth enveloped her creamy breast. The only utterances able to leave her mouth were a series of breathy moans.

Emma wrapped her legs around Damon's bare waist. She hadn't even realized he'd shed his clothes, but how could you with such a gorgeous man bringing you to the brink of pleasure? They both groaned as Emma rubbed her wet core against Damon's hardness.

"Fucking hell, Emma," Damon muttered as he kissed down Emma's stomach. Emma opened her legs as she felt him move down to her thighs. He kissed and licked her inner thighs before licking up and down her womanhood and nibbling on her clit. Emma's back shot up as she cried in arousal. He was so damn good it should be a sin.

"You taste divine, my love," said Damon as two fingers slid into Emma. As Emma clutched the sheets, she was sure holes would be torn into them by the end of the night. As Emma's inner muscles throbbed around Damon's fingers, he grew impossibly hard.

"Damon…uh…Damon!" Emma moaned as her orgasm pierced through her hard and fast.

After removing his fingers and cleaning himself up, he penetrated her smoothly before she even had a chance to recover from her explosion of pleasure. Damon pulled Emma up so she was sitting on his lap and they both moved roughly together, letting their carnal pleasure reverberate throughout the house. There was no doubt anyone else in the house knew exactly what was going on, but it wasn't surprising. Stefan knew when Damon and Emma were in a mood he should go hunt because they could go for hours. Vampire stamina. Damon's thrusts were ruthless as he caressed both her breasts. Small crescents were etched into Damon's back as Emma urged him to go faster and harder.

"Emma, I need…" Damon tried to resist Emma's tempting neck, but Emma wasn't having any of that. Moving her sweaty hair to one side, Emma gyrated her hips into Damon.

"I like it. Do it," she said grabbing Damon's head and smashing his lips to her neck.

Grunting, Damon wrapped his arms around Emma's shoulders, impaling her harder on his cock, as he bit viciously into her neck, black veins throbbing around his eyes. At the first taste of Emma's blood, they both climaxed. Damon knew Emma was the only woman who could make him feel like this. Nothing in the world mattered if he had Emma. Managing to pull away from the ultimate temptation, Damon kissed Emma voraciously. As they separated, Emma noticed a trail of blood running from the corner of Damon's mouth. Her eyes darkening, she licked the blood away. When they collapsed into the bed, Damon moved Emma on top of him.

"I love you, my dark prince," Emma smirked. Damon softly chuckled.

"And I love you, my dark princess," said Damon as he kissed the top of her hand, interlocking their fingers together. Together. That's how it had been and that's how it always would be. Forever. Until the end of time.

_Eighty years later ~ Mystic Falls Cemetery_

Eighty years had passed since Emma and Damon had daggered the Originals, since Stefan had truly moved on from his anger and dealt with his feelings. Emma and Damon had left that night. No longer able to stand the sight of Mystic Falls. On occasion, though, Emma would call Bonnie.

The first time Emma and Damon stepped foot in the town that seemed to draw the supernatural once more was when Alaric died. Damon and Ric had kept in constant contact and Damon had been deeply saddened when he passed away from a heart attack. The second time the couple had visited Mystic Falls was for Elena's funeral. They hadn't appeared for Elena's sake, but for Stefan's. Stefan had broken up with Elena decades ago, but they both knew the youngest Salvatore still held a torch for the doppelganger. Damon wasn't ready to speak to his brother yet, so Emma had approached Stefan at the gravesite. She laid a single rose on Elena's headstone.

"Why are you here?" Stefan choked out. "You hated Elena."

"I hated Elena for what she did to Damon. I didn't hate her for what she did to you. After we left, she was the one who truly brought you back. She never gave up. I suppose she was a lot like me in that regard. Damon and I are both sorry for your loss, Stefan."

"If you say I told you so, I'll kill you."

"I wasn't even considering it. How'd she die?"

"Cancer."

"I see. Take some time, Stefan. Grieve and when you're ready to leave the mortal coil, give Damon and I a call. He misses you, you know?" Emma said as she stuck a card in Stefan's jacket pocket.

"Emma?" Stefan asked as Emma started to turn away.

"Yes?"

"Will it always hurt like this?"

"No. There'll be a day when you find the right love. If she's human, she'll turn for you and if she's vampire, well, you have an eternity to look forward to. Goodbye, Stefan." Emma then walked down to the exit of the cemetery. Stefan looked to see Damon there. The brothers both gave each other a nod of understanding. Emma took Damon's hand in hers and wrapped her other hand around his upper arm, leaning her head against his shoulder. And as they walked through the tombstones of past souls, they turned into two ebony crows, flying into the darkness that followed the sunset.

THE END

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